Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 129 I've Never Lacked Beauties in My Life

The sense of honor is a really strange thing. Its birth doesn't have any particularly obvious signs. It just comes out naturally after a child develops intelligence, as long as it's slightly provoked.

Sometimes it's a little red flower, sometimes it's a straight stick, and sometimes it's something like "My brother can eat shit, but your brother can't."

As you grow up, this thing becomes less obvious; however, it burns in the darkness, spreads in the shadows, and bursts forth in anger.

Calling it a sense of honor isn't entirely accurate, and calling it jealousy doesn't seem fair either.

In short, after Yun Ce cleaned the bodies of these slaves and dressed them in clean clothes, this thing inexplicably spread among them.

I used something slippery to take a shower, did you? Oh, you did? Look at my new clothes, they haven't been washed yet, they're so stiff, obviously I was the first to wear them. What? Yours too, look at my shoes…

These things reached their climax after the competition for leaders of ten, one hundred, and even one thousand people began, and basically reached their peak after the first leader of one thousand people appeared.

The first centurion was named Chu. He had no surname, only a given name. In fact, this Chu should not be the Chu of the State of Chu, but more likely the Chu of the animal. It is unlikely that the slave owner would be so kind as to give him a relatively elegant name.

Feng Anxin is good. I heard that his name is Chu, so I just wrote it as Chu and didn't use the character "Chu".

Chu was a tall, middle-aged man with long arms and legs and great strength, but he walked with an awkward gait.

According to Feng An, this guy was originally a cheerful person, but after defeating ten centurions, he wanted to walk with the gait of a general, as suggested by the other slaves. As a result, he couldn't walk properly anymore.

Yun Ce didn't blame him for this. It's normal for someone to need time to adapt after suddenly leaving their original social class, and there's nothing funny about it.

However, when Chu, accompanied by thirty-one newly selected centurions, stammered and told Yun Ce that he would definitely use his superior martial arts to protect his master in the future, Zhang Min suddenly attacked Yun Ce, raising an iron spear to kill him.

Chu tried to stop him, but Zhang Min kicked him in the neck, and he fell to the ground unable to move without even struggling. The other centurions were better; instead of fleeing, they stood in front of Yun Ce and attacked Zhang Min together.

Even when attacked in groups, it wasn't a serious problem for Zhang Min. Even under the small shed, she still managed to defeat more and more centurions with ease, and the later the attack, the more ruthless she became.

Finally, when Zhang Min used the iron spear in her hand to pierce the arm of a centurion and threw him outside the shed, the man turned and ran away. Then, in full view of everyone, he was bitten in two by Eji's puppy with its mouth wide open.

The remaining centurions all knelt down and begged for mercy.

Yun Ce did not blame them, but simply stripped them of their newly acquired status as centurions and sent them back to the ordinary slave population.

The reason these centurions were able to hold out until the end was not because of their superior martial arts skills, but because they were afraid to fight.

In the end, Yun Ce chose Chu Dang as the leader of a thousand men, selected twenty active fighters as leaders of a hundred men, demoted five to leaders of ten men, and as for the remaining five survivors, after experiencing a period of ecstasy, they received the heaviest blow in the world.

Feng An was certain that no matter how well these five people performed in the future, they would never have a chance to stand out in the slave camp.

The punishments were severe, but the rewards from Yun Ce were equally generous. Each of the ten leaders was given a large horned horse, a set of ordinary leather armor, and a complete set of weapons, from short blades to spears and bows.

In addition to these rewards, the centurion also received a large bag of money from Eji.

The Thousand-Man Long Cloud Strategy didn't give anything; they planned to observe Chu further before making a conclusion.

The thousand-man leader, Chu, knows nothing now and can only follow Feng An and Liang Kun to learn how to manage the other hundred-man leaders. The hundred-man leaders also actively follow Feng An and Liang Kun to learn how to manage the ten-man leaders. As for the ten-man leaders, they already know how to manage ten slaves.

This selection once again proved one thing: there really wasn't much talent among the slave population. There were many leaders of ten men, but the number of leaders of a hundred men shrank drastically, and as for leaders of a thousand men, there was barely one.

If you want to rely on slaves to do something that would be disrespectful to the Han Dynasty, you must have the indomitable spirit of Hong Guniang. If you want to reap the benefits without sowing, then forget about it.

Therefore, Yun Ce could only use these slaves for farming; they had no other use.

Standing at the low-lying Jimingyi, one can look up and see the towering city of Chang'an. During the day, the houses of Chang'an are arranged in a neat and orderly manner, and the tall buildings are piled up like brocade.

Eji took Yun Ce's arm and said, "When we were in Chuyun Prefecture, all I could think about was Chang'an. Now that Chang'an is right in front of us, why don't we want to go in?"

Yun Ce said, "I'm so disappointed. I thought that a magnificent city that has stood on the earth for more than 1,200 years must be incredibly prosperous and at its peak. I really wanted to see the lively scene described in history books, where 'sleeves are raised like clouds and sweat is poured like rain.'"

I also long to see the literary elegance of Chang'an, where scholars are like immortals, their pens producing exquisite prose; where beauties grace the high towers, and wealthy merchants spend lavishly just to win a smile from a beautiful woman.

I would like to see a scene here where paths crisscross and the elderly and children stand solemnly.

Instead, what I found here was a huge pig farm, where super fat pigs were being raised, their anuses dripping with oil.

Let's go, we'll come again next time.

"Did you raise pigs? No, I didn't see any. Hey, Anji, why are you pulling me?" Yun Ce took Eji and the others home, followed by Feng An, Liang Kun, and Lao Chou, who were escorting more than six thousand slaves. Zhang Min said she had something to do and would catch up later on her Thunder Smoke Beast.

"If you dare tell anyone about what's going on at home, I'll hang you up and whip you."

Despite the stern warning given to Zhang Min by Eji, Zhang Min still told Wu Tong everything that had happened at Jimingyi in the past few days when they met.

Wu Tong frowned and asked, "Why is he unwilling to enter Chang'an?"

Zhang Min said, "Yun Ce thinks that Chang'an disappointed him and he is unwilling to go in."

"That means he has seen a better Chang'an."

Zhang Min couldn't help but ask, "Are there two Chang'an in the world?"

Wu Tong did not answer Zhang Min's question.

"Yun Ce wants to treat all your scars? Is that feasible?"

Zhang Min said somewhat shyly, "It should be feasible. Although Yun Ce is a bastard, he is a bastard of his word. If he says he can cure it, then he should be able to cure it."

Wu Tong smiled and said, "This is a good thing. Back then, we escaped from the Ghost Fang wilderness together, and you were the most seriously injured. Fortunately, you survived, otherwise, I would feel very guilty. Now you have found the person you were looking for."

You don't need to take on the additional task of supervising Yun Ce anymore; from now on, just focus on being his adjutant.

Zhang Min's expression changed, and she grabbed Wu Tong's sleeve, saying, "Panxinglou doesn't want me anymore?"

Wu Tong sighed and said, "Consort Yu went to see the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince did not refuse. His chances of ascending the throne in the future are basically gone."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Min angrily retorted, "Is beauty really that important? It can make the Crown Prince disregard human ethics. In this respect, he is not even as good as Yun Ce. Ever since Yun Ce learned that Consort Yu was a member of the Ghost Fang Clan, he has been able to punch such a beauty repeatedly until her body passes through the carriage."

Furthermore, Your Majesty clearly knows that Consort Yu is a menace, so why doesn't Your Majesty keep her under control in the harem, allowing her to run rampant and harm others?

Wu Tong waved her hand and said, "These things are none of your business. Just let Yun Ce help you heal your injuries. If you really like Yun Ce, then marry him and have children as soon as possible. That's what's important to you."

Zhang Min angrily retorted, "Is my only purpose now to become someone's concubine and have children as soon as possible?"

Wu Tong smiled and patted Zhang Min's hand, saying, "Your true nature shouldn't be that of a warrior, but rather a weak woman confined to her chambers. If you hadn't experienced such a tragic fate, you wouldn't have chosen the path of a warrior."

Now that there's a good outcome, hold onto it and don't be stubborn and refuse to cooperate. The Climbing Star Tower and the Crown Prince are about to sever ties, and turmoil is imminent. It's best for you to stay far away.

Zhang Min looked into Wu Tong's eyes and said, "Do I really not need to report Yun Ce's movements anymore?"

"No need, that will affect your harmony in bed. Remember to have more children, especially boys. You know I have four daughters."

Zhang Min opened her mouth in astonishment, and after a moment she said, "As far as I know, the High Priest is also urging Eji to give birth to a son for Yun Ce as soon as possible. Now you are asking me the same thing, and even using your four precious daughters as a bargaining chip. Wu Tong, what is it that I don't know?"

Wu Tong was inexplicably angry. Pointing to the door, she said, "You're lucky and very capable. Now get out of here and go find Yun Ce to have a baby."

Zhang Min was kicked out of the Panxing Tower by Wu Tong. Riding her Thunder Smoke Beast, she caught up with Yun Ce amidst billowing dust, and kept looking the man up and down.

He was somewhat handsome, but not exceptionally skilled in martial arts. As for intelligence, Zhang Min had met people smarter than Yun Ce, such as Wu Tong.

But why is it that even a true prodigy like Wu Tong seems to envy him, or rather, be jealous of him?

"I've been fired from Panxinglou, so I won't be able to help you gather information anymore."

Yun Ce had long suspected that Zhang Min was acting suspiciously today, and said, "She's lost even her last bit of usefulness."

Zhang Min laughed and said, "You healed my injuries. I'm a great beauty, so you're lucky."

Yun Ce shook the reins and said, "In my life, the one thing I have never lacked is beautiful women."

Hearing Yun Ce boast so much, Zhang Min turned to look at E Ji, who was sticking her head out of the carriage, and said, "You can tolerate this?"

Eji sneered, "My husband has no shortage of beauties. I just don't understand how someone like you dares to call yourself a beauty?"

(End of this chapter)